Sour beer: Media conservatives say they wouldn't go to White House if they were Crowley
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
Since the White House announced that Cambridge, Massachusetts, police Sgt. James Crowley and Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. are joining President Obama for a beer at the White House, several media conservatives have stated that if they were Crowley, they would not go to the White House.
Conservatives who say they wouldn't go
Rich Lowry says he “wouldn't go”; Sean Hannity says he “wouldn't either.”
LOWRY [National Review editor]: You know, if I were Sergeant Crowley, I wouldn't go.
HANNITY: I wouldn't either.
LOWRY: You know, I understand why he wants to go -- he's a reasonable, public-spirited guy. But Obama engaged in talking about a teachable moments, and when they use that phrase, it's clear who they think needs to be taught -- and it's Sergeant Crowley, rather than themselves. [Fox News' Hannity; 7/29/2009]
Bernie Goldberg: “I wouldn't go. ... [N]ot unless I got some apologies first.”
GOLDBERG [Fox News contributor and author]: From the president's point of view, it probably is. Now, I wouldn't even presume to give Sergeant Crowley any advice; he's a big boy and he certainly knows what he's doing. But, just so you know, I wouldn't go and take part in a dog and pony photo op, not unless I got some apologies first. It's a good move for the president possibly, but I wouldn't have anything to do with it.
One guy, a professor, calls me a racist; the president says the cops are stupid, and then says, you know, “I probably should have calibrated my words differently.” Bill, who uses language like “I should have calibrated my words differently”? Only a guy who went to Harvard.
Most regular people watching us right now would say, “I was wrong. I'm sorry.” But the president can't do that. So it may be a good move for him. It may show that he's trying to bring people together, but I sure as hell wouldn't go. [Fox News' O'Reilly Factor; 7/29/2009]
Larry Elder: “I would say, 'Mr. President, thank you for the invitation, but you can take your beer and shove it.' ”
ELDER [syndicated columnist and former radio host]: If I were Crowley, I would say, “Mr. President, thank you for the invitation, but you can take your beer and shove it” --
LARRY KING: But he's going.
ELDER: -- because --
MICHAEL ERIC DYSON [Georgetown University sociology professor]: Well --
ELDER: -- you need to apologize to me --
KING: I think --
ELDER: -- and you need to apologize to the Cambridge Police Department for suggesting that I engaged in racial profiling when I didn't do it. [CNN's Larry King Live; 7/29/09]
Transcripts
From the July 29 edition of Fox News' Hannity:
HANNITY: All right. Well, first, let's start with an issue that has now been going on for an entire week. Barack Obama holds his press conference; Barack Obama accuses the Cambridge Police Department of, quote, “acting stupidly”; next day, he's lecturing everybody about what a teachable moment this is. And now, we're going to have a beer summit, Rich.
LOWRY: Yeah.
HANNITY: Good idea?
LOWRY: You know, if I were Sergeant Crowley, I wouldn't go.
HANNITY: I wouldn't either.
LOWRY: You know, I understand why he wants to go -- he's a reasonable, public-spirited guy. But Obama engaged in talking about a teachable moments, and when they use that phrase, it's clear who they think needs to be taught -- and it's Sergeant Crowley, rather than themselves.
From the July 29 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: Now, tomorrow --
GOLDBERG: Right.
O'REILLY: -- President Obama goes to the White House, back to the White House, and he invited Professor Gates and Officer Crowley, the two guys involved in the controversy in Massachusetts, for a beer at the White House.
GOLDBERG: Yeah. Happy hour.
O'REILLY: Now, is this a good PR move?
GOLDBERG: From the president's point of view, it probably is. Now, I wouldn't even presume to give Sergeant Crowley any advice; he's a big boy and he certainly knows what he's doing. But, just so you know, I wouldn't go and take part in a dog and pony photo op, not unless I got some apologies first. It's a good move for the president possibly, but I wouldn't have anything to do with it.
One guy, a professor, calls me a racist; the president says the cops are stupid, and then says, you know, “I probably should have calibrated my words differently.” Bill, who uses language like “I should have calibrated my words differently”? Only a guy who went to Harvard.
Most regular people watching us right now would say, “I was wrong. I'm sorry.” But the president can't do that. So it may be a good move for him. It may show that he's trying to bring people together, but I sure as hell wouldn't go.
O'REILLY: See, I would. If I were Crowley, I would go -- and I'll tell you why: because then Crowley can come out and report on exactly what the discussion was.
From the July 29 edition of CNN's Larry King Live:
ELDER: Larry, here's my problem with it. When Obama had the press conference -- and he admitted that he didn't have all of the facts, and admitted that he was a friend of Skip Gates, and, therefore, he was biased, but then he proceeds to suggest that Gates was right, that Gates was a victim of racial profiling. And this is a metaphor for what's all --
KING: -- and he's now invited them to the White House tomorrow.
ELDER: -- what's going on in the country. That's right, he did take -- he did dial it back.
ELDER: But a disproportionate amount of crime is committed in the black community and the victims are usually black people. There's a great deal of hostility between cops and citizens, and neither should stereotype the other. And that's what Obama should have said. And I think a lot of people, Larry --
KING: You're -- you're knocking Obama now.
ELDER: And I think a lot of people, Larry -- Larry, should --
KING: Where did that come from? He apologized. They're both going to see him tomorrow.
ELDER: Well, wait a minute. Why -- why should both be invited?
DYSON: But, Larry --
ELDER: If I were Crowley, I would say, “Mr. President, thank you for the invitation, but you can take your beer and shove it" --
KING: But he's going.
ELDER: -- because --
DYSON: Well --
ELDER: -- you need to apologize to me --
KING: I think --
ELDER: -- and you need to apologize to the Cambridge Police Department for suggesting that I engaged in racial profiling when I didn't do it.